Shillong: Assam’s Tourism Minister, Jayanta Mallabaruah, participated in the Tourism Ministers Conference for North Eastern and Eastern States/Union Territories today, chaired by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Shillong. The conference aimed to develop strategies to enhance the tourism sector across the region.
Minister Mallabaruah highlighted the remarkable growth of Assam’s tourism industry, noting a significant rise in foreign tourist arrivals from 6,000 to 42,000 and nearly a crore in domestic visitors. He credited this success to focused initiatives and strong government support, particularly since 2016.
In his address, Minister Mallabaruah emphasized the need for a comprehensive marketing strategy to unlock the full potential of Assam’s diverse tourist attractions. He underscored the importance of promoting niche segments such as Tea Tourism, Golf Tourism, Wildlife Tourism, and Religious Tourism, which he believes are crucial for the state’s economic development and livelihood enhancement.
The Minister also addressed challenges like the need to regularize airfares to attract more budget tourists and discussed ongoing efforts to develop luxury tourism infrastructure. He highlighted the ‘Amar Alohi’ scheme, which promotes homestays in lesser-known destinations, and called for the development of a search engine to help tourists find local homestays, thereby minimizing reliance on multinational companies and benefiting local businesses.
The conference also featured a presentation by Kumar Padmapani Bora, who detailed the recent initiatives taken by Assam’s Tourism Department.
